Devil's Daughters
by LunarMemories
Summary: 30 years ago, Lucifer escaped from the depths of hell. Koenma entrusts Lucifer's children to his best team of spirit detectives. To train and protect them is their job, but what happens when daddy pays a visit? What are his plans for the world? KxOC HxOC
1. Prologue

**AN: First story~! Be kind? ^^ I write for fun, but I finally decided to publish a story. Can't promise I'll update regularly, but I'll try. Once a week or so. Well, here you go. Short little prologue to my story. R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. It belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi. Rated M for mild cursing/future chapters.**

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><p>Prologue<p>

30 Years Ago...

The office of the prince of Reikai was strangely peaceful today. No ogres could be seen scurrying around, and papers were not flying through the air. It was a satisfying reprieve to all that worked in the Spirit Realm. Passing on souls and overseeing the safety and peace of the worlds was the same as ever, but for the last couple of weeks, Hell had been even more chaotic than normal. Someone or something was seeing to cause no end of trouble in the underworld. But not today.

"This is odd," Koenma muttered to himself. The prince was sitting alone at his desk. "Something's not right here. What could have caused this sudden, drastic change?" He sighed, and rested his head in his hands for a moment. He got up and walked over to his bookshelf. After selecting a book, he returned to his desk, settling down to read. "Perhaps I'm just over-thinking it. I might as well relax, right?"

"Hi Koenma~! How are you enjoying your day off?" Botan's cheery voice sounded as she threw open the doors and walked in. "I'm so glad everyone decided to behave and not die today. Oh, silly me, it's not like it's their choice whether they live or die. Some of the other reapers and I finally had the chance for a spa day. Look, I got my hair trimmed and nails done! Maybe I can go shopping too. What are you doing, all cooped up in here? It's so nice today, you should really get out!"

"Glad to see you're having fun. Not to say that I'm not. I'll be the first to admit how nice it is not to have papers piled to the ceiling and complaints of havoc in the underworld. Sigh. I don't know, Botan. It could just be that the world decided to cooperate today, but..." Koenma's voice trailed off. Botan quietly asked, "But what, Koenma?" The blue haired girl watched the toddler, beginning to worry. It was not often that he was like this; more often than not, he was just yelling at Jorge and barking orders. Minutes passed before the answer came to him. His eyes widened in realization, then fear and anger quickly flashed across his features, before leaving him merely very serious.

"I'll check later, but I trust my instincts. Why is father always away when these things happen?" Koenma cursed under his breath. "Botan, summon your oar, fetch the other reapers, send in Jorge, and sound the alarms. I want you all to scour the Makai and Ningenkai. Lucifer has escaped from Hell."

In a far-off corner of the Demon Plane, a shadow grinned devilishly. He had succeeded in leaving Hell in a writhing mess; he had managed to somehow further increase the pandemonium before silencing them all. No doubt the chaos would soon resume, but it did not matter, nor did he care. All he knew was that he created the perfect opportunity to escape from the depths of Hell unnoticed. And it worked. Laughing maniacally, the shadow set out in search of a host.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay! The prologue was short so I decided to put Chapter 1 up at the same time. Finals are coming up soon so I may not be able to post/write too much. D:**

**Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is amazing but I don't own it. **

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

"Hn. That Romeo is a fool, giving up his life for a baka ningen woman. She wasn't even dead." Hiei voiced from his seat on the windowsill, looking over and speaking for the first time since the movie began, before rising and retreating to his room. Shaking his head, Kurama said,"People do things for love. Perhaps you will understand one day, Hiei."

A few years had passed since the team had been fired by Koenma, but since the prince still had them doing 'favors,' the group still kept in touch. The boys had become tight though, so they would've anyway, even without Koenma. Genkai had passed and Shizuru decided to help Yukina watch the place, so over time, the temple came to be everyone's home. Nothing had really changed. Yusuke and Keiko were engaged, and Kuwabara summoned the nerve to ask out Yukina, but the two boys were still as immature as ever.

"What's going on? Hiei and love in the same sentence? I gotta see this." "Urameshi, you punk, lemme go!" Yusuke came barging in, holding Kuwabara in a head lock. They wrestled around for a bit until they collapsed on the floor, out of breath. Noticing Yukina, Kuwabara quickly rushed over, exclaiming,"Yukina, my love! I missed you!" then,"My love, why are you crying?" Curled on the love seat, she sniffled and motioned towards the TV, accepting the orange-haired man's attempts to comfort her.

"Ehh? What's this? It looks boring." SMACK. "Ow, Keiko, that hurt!" "Yusuke Urameshi! We studied this in school!" Kurama chuckled and answered,"The girls were bored, so I suggested watching a movie. Yukina picked Romeo and Juliet."

"Hello everyone~!" Botan came skipping in. "Ooh! Romeo & Juliet- tragic, but it's beautiful, really." She sat down on the floor to watch. "What brings you here today, Botan? Are you off work already?" asked Kurama. "Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!" Botan jumped up and summoned a portal. "Koenma wants to see you guys." A groan from Yusuke soon followed.

Keiko knelt down to his position on the floor, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't be lazy, Yusuke. Go get 'em." Hiei, walking in silently from outside, was the first to enter. Yusuke sighed and both he and Kuwabara promised their women they would return as soon as possible, before they followed suit. Kurama smiled and said, "Have fun ladies," and the portal closed behind him.

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><p>Hiei, being the first to arrive promptly strided over to the wall and leaned back, clearly not wanting to be there. "Yo binky breath, glad to see you're finally out of diapers!" Koenma rolled his eyes. "I'm using this form most of the time now. Nice to see you too Yusuke."<p>

Kurama nodded towards the prince in greeting. "I like what you've done with the place. What do you need from us?" Kuwabara, who was already sitting in the new lounge area in the back corner of Koenma's office, piped up,"Yeah, who is it this time? Let's go kick some ass, Urameshi!"

"It's nothing like that." Koenma laughed, then sighed and toned down. "Why don't you all join Kuwabara on the couch? It's quite a lot to tell." "Hold it, binky breath. I sense a long, boring story coming. Cut to the chase." "Hn, I agree with the detective. This is a waste of my time."

Koenma chuckled. "I should've expected that. Kurama, I'll give you the file. You'll find more details in it, if you want." He paused. "Well then, short and sweet. Hmm. 30 years ago, Lucifer escaped Hell. We assumed he went to Makai and lived for a couple years in multiple hosts, possessing demon after demon, which explained why we could not find him. Ten years later, a woman came to me, confirming our suspicions. She told me that a year ago, he finally found the demon he deemed most suitable. He finally began to set into motion his plans; he gained some followers and hand picked a small, elite force to become his right hand. She was his best assassin, and a few months prior, he forcibly mated and impregnated her. He fed her drugs to speed the process and just the day before, two twin girls were born. She sneaked out and quickly came to me, demanding I watch her children."

Yusuke, surprisingly quiet for the last couple of minutes, a sign that he had grown up a bit, finally interrupted. "Blah, blah, blah. Whatever happened to cut to the chase? I get it, I get it. Your people are incompetent and you need us to find this Lucifer guy for you because he has some evil plan to take over the world. Alright, let's go." "Uhh, Urameshi? You're not worried at all? Lucifer is the devil himself." Kuwabara was as superstitious as ever. Kurama looked up from reading the file. "The name Lucifer did not always refer to the devil. We're not talking about someone else here, are we Koenma?"

The prince of Reikai shook his head. "No, I'm afraid Kuwabara is right." Hiei smirked from across the room. "How nice. The oaf is afraid of the so called Devil." "Shut it, shrimp." The room became silent for a moment. "Well, I don't care if he's the devil or not. It'd be nice to have a good ole fight. So did this chick tell you what demon Lucifer's possessing? Tell me his name, and I'll be on my way."

"She didn't, Yusuke. She didn't tell me what his plans were either. She didn't even drop her own name. Like I said though, your mission is nothing like that, although I do plan on having you capture and return him to Hell later on. For the time being, I order you to take no action against him. I will not have my Reikai Tantei killed because I sent them on a blind mission. We still have very little information on him and the demon he is possessing. I just felt it'd be useful to have some background knowledge. Your job is to train and protect the two daughters I mentioned earlier, if you haven't forgotten them already. They're close to your age now. When they turn 21, which is in a little less than a week, their youki, reiki, and powers which their mother sealed when they were born will be released. It'll likely attract many youkai, and will surely alert Lucifer of his children's whereabouts if he has not already figured it out. Lucifer may even show up himself, for all I know. Anyway, like I said, train and protect. They should be here any minute now." And as if on cue, heads turned as the tell-tale sounds of the hinges signaled the opening of the massive doors to Koenma's office.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: After Friday, I'll practically be done with school! Chapter 2, enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: Hooray, my OC's are introduced in this chapter and they're the only things I own. (:**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

The room went silent as everyone turned towards the door in anticipation of the arrival of the two girls. Seconds later, the first girl stormed in, clearly agitated. She was only about 4'11 and had shoulder length black hair that was cropped in short layers. Her outfit consisted of dark grey skinny jeans, an off-the-shoulder white sweater, a dog-tag necklace, and black military boots. Seemingly oblivious to the room's other occupants, she stopped in the middle of the office, threw herself to the floor, and proceeded to glare daggers at the ceiling.

Yusuke whistled. "Hey, angry,short girl is hot!" She sat up and focused her glare on Yusuke instead. Then quickly scanning the room, she said, "He looks like he's quiet and won't annoy me," and walked over to sit against the wall, next to Hiei.

Hiei opened his eyes and growled, "Onna, your negative energy is bothering me." At that moment, the second girl came walking in with an explanation. She was taller than her sister and stood at about 5'5. She was dressed simply in a white v-neck, magenta shorts, and white sandals, and her long, dark brown hair fell gently over her shoulders in waves. The two girls didn't look like twins; the only things they had in common were a slim build, Japanese face, and a pair of uncommon hazel eyes. "Um, I apologize. My sister's temper can flare up sometimes. She became aggravated when she saw this guy trying to forcibly kiss me earlier. I really could've handled him myself though." She stopped when she saw Yusuke staring at her.

"Hey binky breath! Nice twins. That one's kinda hot and this one's kinda cute." "Urameshi, you idiot. Grow up, you're engaged to Keiko!" "But Keiko wants to wait before we get married! She says we're still kind of young." Kuwabara tackled Yusuke, and the two boys commenced their usual brawling routine on the floor for a minute or two.

Kurama walked over with a laugh. "Don't mind them. You'll get used to it; even at their age, they act like this all the time. I'm Kurama." He didn't feel the need to hide his demon name from the two girls. "Hiei's the one by your sister, and the two boys on the floor are Yusuke and Kuwabara." Yusuke gave a "Yo!" in greeting, while Kuwabara waved and offered a big, goofy smile. Still slightly blushing from Yusuke's comment, she shook his hand and said,"I'm Misuzu and my sister over there is Miyuki." She giggled. "She'll calm down in a bit, but we're both very pleased to meet you all."

Koenma, who had been amusing himself just by quietly watching everything, spoke up. "These girls used to be living with the Hakase's, but I'm placing them in your care now." Familiar with them, Kurama nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Hakase were a wealthy middle-aged couple that kept a large home in the Ningenkai and acted as foster parents for children Koenma sent them; they even kept rooms for some of the older ones as well. Glancing over at Yusuke, "Don't screw things up." He summoned a portal.

Yusuke and Kuwabara quickly clambered in. Kurama smiled. "Shall we?" Misuzu smiled back and followed him through. After a minute or two, Hiei finally got up silently and entered the portal without looking back. Miyuki grunted. "Some gentleman he is. Could've helped me up. Hmph." And with that, Koenma was left alone in his office.

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><p>"Come on girls, we have to finish before the boys get back!" Koenma had told Botan about Misuzu and Miyuki. "Aw Yukina, you have paint on your nose. You look adorable!" The ice maiden giggled. Then Botan told Keiko and Yukina about the twins the day before, and the three of them decided to prepare two rooms as a welcoming present. Botan had some ogres bring over Misuzu and Miyuki's things from the Hakase's, as well as some brand new furniture from the Spirit Realm. The girls painted, decorated, and arranged and rearranged furniture. Shizuru had even pitched in a bit. The girls were just putting in the finishing touches, making sure that everything was nice and neat. Keiko finished up organizing clothing into drawers and closets. "I'm done here," she called out. "Do you think they'll like their rooms?" Yukina walked over and smiled. "I hope so." Botan eyed their finished work. "Of course they will! We did great! Now let's go get cleaned up."<p>

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><p>Misuzu stepped out of the portal and shut her eyes, blinking a few times before reopening them. The sun was shining brightly on this beautiful spring afternoon. She shook her head and took a look at her surroundings. The portal had let them out on a dirt path in what seemed to be a forest. And just a few yards ahead was what seemed to be the longest flight of steps she had ever seen. Misuzu smiled. She always felt at home in nature and she didn't mind some light exercise.<p>

"Hey sis. Sorry about earlier." Miyuki walked up from behind. "It's alright, Miyu. Although, you really didn't need to break his nose." The two sisters laughed and walked over to Yusuke and Kuwabara who were loudly complaining about how Koenma sent them to the bottom of the stairs rather than the top.

"Hi, we didn't really meet earlier. I'm Kuwabara, and you can trust me to protect you while you stay here!" Kuwabara grinned and introduced himself to Miyuki. He was suddenly pushed aside. "Yeah right. I can pummel you any day. I'm Yusuke Urameshi! Nice to meet you. Well, if you aren't still pissed."

"Call me hot again and you'll see just what I can do." Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged nervous glances. Miyuki laughed and punched Yusuke in the arm playfully. "Kidding! Race you guys up the stairs"! She took off and the two boys scrambled after, yelling out, "Hey! Not fair!"

Misuzu didn't want to join, so she just smiled and began to walk up at a leisurely pace. She saw Kurama walking slightly ahead of her and took the chance to get a better look at him. Earlier, she had thought he was kind of attractive and her cheeks tinted pink at the thought again. She couldn't hope for anything though; she was just an ordinary girl, and he probably wouldn't give her a second thought. He was pretty tall, though not like Kuwabara's height, and had gorgeous, long red hair. He turned and smiled, waiting for her. He was well-toned, but not overly muscular, and dressed well. He also had a pair of deep, enticing emerald eyes. She was pretty sure those were not the eyes of an ordinary human.

Reaching his side, Misuzu asked Kurama, "Where do these stairs lead to?" "We're going to Genkai's temple. She was a friend of ours and left it to us when she passed. All this surrounding land and forest was hers too. We pretty much all live here now." "What of Hiei? I didn't see him exit the portal." Kurama laughed. "He comes and goes. Here, watch the trees." Misuzu turned and stopped walking for a moment. For a second, she saw a black blur, but when she looked again, it was gone. She turned back to Kurama. "That was him, wasn't it?" He nodded. "He's incredibly fast." He nodded again and smiled. They walked the rest of the way in silence, but it was a comfortable, peaceful one as opposed to an empty, awkward silence.

At the top of the stairs, Misuzu found Yusuke and Kuwabara splattered on the floor. A tall, young woman with long brown hair and a cigarette in her mouth came through the gate and dumped a bucket of water on the boys. The two jumped up and grumbled before walking in. "Hello Shizuru," greeted Kurama. She nodded towards him and told Misuzu, "If my baby bro or the other idiot over there ever cause you trouble, feel free to come to me about it." Misuzu laughed and replied,"Okay. Nice to meet you, Shizuru." She smiled and said the same thing back. When Shizuru pushed open the gate to walk back in, Kurama held it for Misuzu and said,"Welcome to your new home."

Misuzu replied with a thank you. Upon entering her new home, she let out a small gasp. "It's beautiful," she whispered. It was April, and the sakura trees in the courtyard were in full bloom. As a little girl, cherry blossoms were her favorite thing in the world. Now, she maybe preferred roses and gardenias, but seeing the pink petals blowing through the air was captivating nonetheless. Considering that Kurama had called it a temple, she was expecting older styled buildings. Instead, there was a fairly modern looking building in front of her. It had white walls, a few windows, a Buddhist style tiled roof, and sliding glass doors in the front. Misuzu smiled. She was looking forward towards getting to know these people and living here. What would be in store for her and her sister here?

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><p><strong>Well there we go. Meet the devil's daughters, Misuzu and Miyuki. (: <strong>

**Thanks for the couple of you that reviewed or put this story on alert. Reviews appreciated. :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Miyuki jumped down from a tree to land right in front of her sister. "It's nice here. I like it." Her sister agreed and the two strolled over to watch a couple of fish swimming happily in a pond by the corner. They were quietly enjoying themselves for a few minutes before she heard a voice speak up. She turned around to see the red haired man leaning against a tree watching them. "Why don't we head on in? I think you'd like to meet the girls."

His name was Kurama right? He seemed like a pretty nice, smart guy. Miyuki smirked. It might be too early to tell or do anything, but she thought Kurama and her sister would look good together. She hoped that if something did spark between them, Misuzu would be happy. As for herself, she didn't trust men quite so easily and had given up on having a love life a few years ago because of a certain incident. Not wanting to think about it, she shook her head. She'd much rather just try to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment of it.

"Okay," she replied to Kurama's question. "Come on, let's go." Miyuki gave her sister's wrist a tug and headed over to the house's entrance. When Kurama slid open the doors for them, she gave a "Thanks," and walked in.

Upon entering, Miyuki found herself faced with three girls. The first girl introduced herself as Yukina. She was about the same height as her and had turquoise colored hair and crimson eyes. For a moment, she thought she had seen those eyes somewhere else, but she couldn't quite place it. She seemed like a very sweet girl.

"Hi, I'm Botan~! Nice to meet you, Misuzu and Miyuki!" Botan was very different from Yukina. She was much more outgoing and talkative. She was taller and had blue hair tied up into a high ponytail. Miyuki wasn't sure if she would like her; her bubbly voice and incessant talking could get annoying, but she seemed to have good intentions.

The third girl, who had long, dark brown hair came up. As Keiko introduced herself, Yusuke sauntered over to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "This here is my beautiful fiance. Be careful though, she has a mean slap, so you don't ever want to piss her off." She muttered, "Compliments won't get you anywhere if you're just going to say things like that afterward," before kissing him back. The two of them looked good together; they seemed very relaxed and comfortable around each other... childhood friends maybe?

Miyuki decided that these were good people that she could trust. Koenma had said they were the best anyway, right? She'd be careful about giving away her heart, but she didn't think it'd be a problem. Yusuke had Keiko, and Kuwabara... well, she thought someone mentioned something about Kuwabara and Yukina being together. She had hopes for Kurama and her sister, which left Hiei and Hiei seemed a bit cold and distant.

Introductions over, Miyuki decided to take a look around the house. The rooms were all large, airy, and open, and they were all connected without doorways, except for the restrooms, for easy access. There was a living room, kitchen, dining room, an office with a couple of computers, a library with a huge collection of books, two bathrooms, and a large room that she wasn't quite sure what purpose it served.

She returned to the living room, where everyone had moved into and asked, "Hey Keiko, what's that big, empty room for?" "Oh, we just recently remodeled and I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet. Maybe you could help me with it, Miyuki." "Sure sure. Oh, and isn't this place a bit small for you all to be living in? It doesn't have any bedrooms either." "There's another building out back where all our bedrooms are."

Botan suddenly looked very giddy. "Speaking of bedrooms, while you boys were fetching Misuzu and Miyuki here, we girls worked on a welcoming present for them. Shizuru helped a bit too. We decorated and furnished two rooms for you guys, and brought over all your belongings from the Hakase's as well. We hope you'll like them!" "Hey, how is that possible? We were gone only an hour, maybe even less. How is it possible that four girls got all that done that quickly?" questioned Yusuke. Botan grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Do not underestimate the power of women, and don't even for one second think about doubting Botan!"

She laughed. She had forgotten about having to redo her room and bring over all her belongings. Koenma had arrived the other day to quickly explain things and she hadn't had much time. She knew her birthday was approaching, but she didn't know when exactly she would be leaving, or where she would be going to. Satomi told her and Misuzu not to worry though, so she didn't give it much more thought.

Miyuki was excited to see her new room; she only hoped that Botan and the others had gotten their tastes right. Her sister asked, "Yukina, would you mind showing us to our new rooms?" She complied and led them out the back door. They stepped out onto a stone path that seemed to be a short walk of maybe twenty yards. Ahead of them was another building, much like the first except that it was two stories high and was longer. The late-afternoon sun was shining and there was grass and life all around. The air here was crisp and clean, and Miyuki definitely liked it more than the dull, polluted air of crowded cities.

Hearing a soft rustling sound, she stopped walking and looked up, to find Hiei standing in a tree to the right of the path. "Hey there, Hiei," she greeted. Yusuke came up and knelt down slightly to put an arm around her shoulder. "Don't bother. Hiei's a good guy, loyal, and a great fighter and everything, but he's kind of an ass. He still doesn't talk much." She punched him lightly. "Be nice, Yusuke. That's all I was doing." He shrugged and turned back, muttering something about going to play a video game.

Hiei jumped down to face them. "Hello Hiei," Yukina said. She didn't expect him to return the greeting since he didn't respond to hers, but after a few seconds, he quietly replied, "Hello Yukina." He then smirked and looked at Miyuki. "Your negative energy is gone onna." He turned and walked away briskly, presumably going to his room.

The rest of them walked on. Kurama, Kuwabara, and Keiko had stayed behind, so it was just Yukina, Misuzu, Miyuki, and Botan, who had tagged along because she wanted to see their reactions to their rooms. Botan piped up, "I still don't get Hiei." The girls laughed and chatted idly until they reached their destination.


	5. Chapter 4

**Well, this one was kinda fun to write. (:**

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

"So the boys' rooms are on the first floor, and the girls' on the second," explained Botan. It was a simple building layout; it was basically just a long, horizontal hallway with stairs in front of the entrance. "Kurama and Hiei's rooms are on the left and Yusuke and Kuwabara's are on the right. Each wing also has four guest rooms at the end." She led them upstairs, and it was basically the same. "Keiko and Shizuru's are on the right, also with four guest rooms. Yukina's and mine are on the left. The two rooms we decorated for you are on the left too, so there's two guest rooms left on this side. There's a bathroom in front of the stairs here, and one on each end of the hallway too." "You guys have a lot of extra rooms," Miyuki mentioned. Botan replied with a laugh, saying, "Yeah, we have a lot of friends and they come stay for a while from time to time. Now go check out your rooms!"

Misuzu ran her hand along the wall and stopped at the door that was labeled with her name. Each door had a nail and small wooden placard hanging off it that had the name of the room's owner carved into it. Her room was next to Botan's and across from her sister's. She turned around to look at her sister who had paused in front of her door as well. Simultaneously, both Misuzu and Miyuki said,"Let's look at each others rooms first." They laughed and crossed the hallway.

Misuzu pushed open the door and instantly knew that her sister would love her room. The walls were colored maroon, and with Miyuki's other favorite color black, they made up the color scheme. She noticed the large four poster bed first. Along one wall, there was a pretty big sound system and shelves stacked with her sister's CD's. In another corner, there was a black bean-bag chair, a desk, and a few shelves high on the wall displaying her sister's few trophies and awards. There was a small dresser and small door on the other side of the room, which she assumed led to a walk-in closet. The wood in the room was a beautiful cherry wood and the room was lighted by a few oval ceiling lamps. A large, square window that almost reached from the ceiling to the floor looked out to the mountains. Misuzu smiled. Botan, Keiko, and Yukina did a great job and she couldn't wait to see her own room.

She walked out back into the hallway and traded places with Miyuki. After seeing her sister's room, Misuzu was pretty sure her room would be just as nice. She opened the door and walked in, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It was elegant, but in a simple way that she very much appreciated. She laughed a little as she heard her sister yell from across the hall, "I love my room! You guys are the best!" Misuzu slowly walked around her room. The walls were a very bright white; actually, the room was almost entirely white, aside from some lavender and silver accents. She had a low set bed that was completely white except for a couple of decorative pillows. Next to it was a small bedside table that was just as low; on top of it was a silver lamp and small speaker with a slot to connect an mp3 player. Another wall had two sliding wooden doors, behind which she found a closet with much of her clothing hung up and organized by color. Also in the room - no, her room - was an armoire, a small vanity with a big fluffy chair, large bookcase, writing desk, and a medium-sized oval window.

Misuzu walked over to her bookcase to find that it was filled with her favorite novels. She loved to read; she was a bookworm and was bullied and teased about it, among other things, for much of her school life. Over the years, the bullying had given her many insecurities; it was better now, but every now and then, her insecurities would show up again. She carefully ran a finger across the worn spines. She finally picked out a book and settled into the chair that looked oh-so-inviting.

A moment later, Botan came bursting in, with Yukina just behind her. "Hey, Misuzu! How do you like your room? I was wondering since you didn't come out or have a big outburst like your sister." Misuzu got up to give both Botan and Yukina a hug. "I really like it. It was so nice of you three to do this for us. Thank you both." Yukina seemed genuinely happy to find out that the two girls both liked their new rooms. Botan just laughed and said, "No problem! It was a lot of fun and I just knew that you'd love them!" Yukina smiled. "You're welcome. I enjoyed it too. We'll leave you here for a while. Come down with Miyuki in about half an hour. We'll have dinner ready and on the table by then, okay?"

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><p>About twenty minutes after Yukina and Botan had left, Misuzu closed her book and got up. Walking across the hall, she laughed, seeing that her sister was lying sprawled out on her back on top of her new bed. "I can tell you love your new room. Come on Miyu, let's go. Yukina said to go down for dinner."<p>

A delicious smell wafted through the air as Misuzu slided the back doors open and walked in. "It smells so good in here!" commented her sister. "Yeah, it makes you hungry doesn't it?" She hadn't realized that she was actually getting pretty hungry until now.

"Come eat! It's dinner time!" she heard Shizuru call out. Walking into the dining room, Misuzu and her sister were almost trampled by Yusuke and Kuwabara rushing to the table. She almost tripped, but since she had always had good balance, she was able to catch herself easily. Keiko,who was setting the table, shook her head. "Are you two alright? Sometimes, they seem more like kids than adults."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine," she answered with a smile. Miyuki, on the other hand, went over to where Yusuke and Kuwabara were sitting to lightly hit them both on the head. "You boys need to learn some manners. How did you two ever get girls?" Yukina entered the room and set down a basket of bread on the table. She giggled and said, "Kazuma is really rather sweet. Misuzu, Miyuki, feel free to sit wherever you like."

Soon, nearly everyone was seated and Misuzu was sitting between her sister and Kurama. "How did you like your room?" he inquired politely. "I loved it. Did you know that they were going to do this?" He smiled and shook his head no. "I'm glad you liked it though."

She suddenly realized she didn't thank Keiko yet. She spoke for Miyuki as well. "You didn't come along with us earlier, so we couldn't thank you Keiko. We both really like our new rooms, thank you so much. How did you get all that new furniture so quickly anyway?" "No problem, it was fun actually. Oh, haha, Botan pulled some strings in Reikai."

She looked over at Botan, who was grinning. "I used to be a ferry-girl for Koenma, you know, passing on souls and the like, so I can get him to do me favors. Well, I guess I still am, I just don't do it all the time anymore. He's been nicer lately; he gave me the position of overseeing the other reapers, so I'm not being worked to death anymore."

Misuzu heard her sister snicker from beside her. "Looks like Koenma has a soft spot for you. Is there something going on here we should know about?" Koenma came by the Hakase's house to check on things pretty often; over time, her sister had formed the habit of teasing him every time he came to visit and it looked like this was a new subject she would abuse.

Botan was blushing madly. "No, there's nothing going on here!" At that moment, Shizuru came in with two trays of food. "Hey everyone, I made Italian tonight!" "Sis, you cooked tonight?" "Kazu, I cook sometimes too. My food won't kill you. You ought to give dear Yukina a break every now and then, you know." Kuwabara let out a small, embarrassed laugh before helping himself to a large portion of lasagna. Everyone else followed and dug in.

Misuzu found the food great and the conversation pleasant. Everyone told her and her sister more about themselves, although Yusuke and Kuwabara did most of the talking. They told them about their jobs as Spirit Detectives and some of their missions, such as the Dark Tournament and their bout with Sensui. They even laughed over some of their pranks and adventures from their school days. Hiei sat alone quietly on the windowsill, but Kurama would throw in some comments here and there. It was all interesting and rather amusing to listen to. After dinner, they all piled into the living room to watch a movie, chat, and play some games. She wanted to stay up and have fun with her new-found friends, but she was getting tired. Around 10 o'clock, Misuzu found herself unable to stay focused and curled up on the couch, her eyes began to close.

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><p><strong>I wish I had my own room. Oh well. D: <strong>

**If anyone's getting bored or wondering, all this petty introduction stuff ends soon. I just thought it'd be a bit abrupt for everything to start happening all at once. It should be easy enough to guess when the story officially starts. (:**


	6. Chapter 5

**A little something from the boys this time. And we find out a bit more about the girls too. Enjoy~**

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Hiei woke early, as usual, and left his room to take a walk. He liked to watch the sun rise; it was one of the few things he appreciated about the ningenkai. Makai was usually just dark, bleak, and dreary. Not that he minded it; it had been his home for almost a hundred years and he preferred dark colors after all. There was just something ... calming and peaceful about watching the sunrise, just like his Hirui stone.

He sat down on a rock and began to polish his katana. Moments later, he saw the black-haired girl that had just arrived with her sister to stay with them. He remembered that their father was Lucifer and that their powers would be awakening soon. He sighed in annoyance; he would have to take part in their training, wouldn't he? The fox would make sure he helped.

The sun rose pretty early during this time of the year. No one rose as early as he did, and he wondered why she was up already. She came closer and Hiei realized she was walking towards him. Miyuki was her name, not that he would bother calling her by it. He hoped she would not bother him.

He looked her over. She looked tired, but she was decent looking. At least she wasn't one of those idiot ningens that thought showing off their enormous fake breasts, hanging their butts, and wearing five layers of that material called makeup made them look 'pretty.' Hiei smirked. He was taller than her. These last few years, he'd grown a couple of inches; maybe it was all the ningen food he'd been eating.

She came over and sat beside him. Of course she wouldn't even ask if he minded her sitting with him. He didn't respond when she greeted him, so it was quiet between them. At least he could somewhat tolerate this girl. She didn't pester him with nonstop talking, nor did she try to flaunt herself at him. They sat and watched the sunrise together as he polished his blade.

It was interesting; last night, when he had been sitting in a corner of the living room alone, the way she behaved and acted seemed a lot like Yusuke. Then the first time he had seen her, she was angry and ignoring everyone; now she was quiet and peaceful. Actually, it seemed that a lot of ningen women had frequent mood changes and acted differently around certain people. He wouldn't even try to understand her; she was just another weak ningen anyway. Besides, he had already tried to get into her head with the jagan, to only find her mind heavily guarded.

She suddenly spoke up and turned to face him."It's nice out here. You don't talk much, do you?" "Hn," was all he gave in reply. It seemed like a pointless conversation, so he didn't feel the need to say anything. She paused for a bit. "I bet you're a good guy. Something happened to you or you've had a hard life. That's why you act like this and put up this front."

He glared at her coldly. "It's none of your business woman." "Well jeez, I wasn't trying to pry. I just thought I should get to know you since I'm living with you now." His glare was unwavering. "No, no! I didn't mean it like that. I meant _all _of you guys, you included, because we're _all _staying in the same house. Ugh, Hiei, you're horrible." Hiei blinked and stared after her as she walked away. Mukuro was perhaps the only female he understood.

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><p>Kurama entered the kitchen to find Misuzu already up, standing by the counter with a glass of water. "Good morning. You're up early." She smiled and said,"Good morning. Not really. I heard my sister rise even earlier; I think she might not have slept well. When does everyone else come down?" He chuckled. It'd be a while still. "Well, Hiei's always an early riser and the girls should be up soon. After they shower and dress, they wake up Yusuke and Kuwabara. If they didn't, those two could sleep until almost noon. So we'll have an hour, maybe a little more until they all gather for breakfast. I usually cook a large breakfast for everyone weekend mornings, but I could whip you up something right now. Would you like me to?"<p>

"Why don't we make something together?" That sounded good; he hadn't decided yet what to make this morning anyway. He nodded. "Do you have something in mind?" "Do you have a preference? Western or Eastern?" He shook his head; he was used to having and making both. She told him they could make a Chinese style congee and after looking through the fridge and pantry, decided on a simple sweet potato and yam flavored one. They set about washing, peeling, and cutting the potatoes and talked as they worked.

Kurama noticed Misuzu was using her left hand to peel and cut. "Oh, I didn't notice you were left handed earlier," he commented. He saw her flinch before answering, "Yeah, I'm left handed." He wondered why she flinched; he didn't come across left handed people that often, but it was not all that unusual and nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. He wouldn't pursue it though.

Bringing up a new topic, Kurama asked, "Tomorrow is Monday. Do you work?" "I teach gymnastics to some girls, but Koenma suggested that I quit. Tomorrow will be my last day. I'll miss them..some of the other teachers and kids at the Hakase's house too... I wonder if they'll miss me."

He smiled; working with kids was always nice, even if some of them had those personalities that made dealing with them so difficult. He admired Keiko for that- she was teaching primary school now. "I'm sure they will; they must love you. But don't worry, you can always visit them. Gymnastics, hm? That should be helpful with your training." " Yeah...Oh, when are we beginning?"

Kurama thought for a moment. They could wait until after Misuzu and Miyuki's powers were released to see what they were dealing with, or they could begin beforehand. "You mentioned that you and your sister's birthday is on the 24th right? That's Thursday. We can begin with the basics two days from now, and after your birthday, we can continue and also work on harnessing your new abilities."

For a couple of minutes, Misuzu didn't respond. "I'm worried. I know I shouldn't be. Miyu, being Miyu, is excited. It's...easier for her. She's more carefree; she's all about enjoying herself as much as possible. And.. in a way, I envy her for that." Kurama watched her as she finished her share and moved to measure and wash enough rice for everyone. She was pretty in a subtle way, and her movements were graceful, most likely the result of years of gymnastics. From the little time he had spent with her so far, she seemed kind and intelligent. This morning, she was displaying some self-doubt and insecurities. He almost wished he could help in some way; at the very least, he was slightly curious about her.

Misuzu spoke again. "I don't know very much about what is going to happen. All I know is that our biological mother locked our powers and non-human energies into these seals on our wrists. I have the image of a closed, empty bird cage on my left wrist while my sister has a single black wing on her right. And I'm somewhat nervous. Will there be a large transformation or will we merely wake up different? Will it be painful? I've been running questions through my mind." She turned towards him and flashed a small smile, before looking down to add the cut up potatoes into a pot with the rice and water. "I do think this bird cage is beautiful though. " He peered at it. It was true; it looked as if it was drawn with remarkable precision and attention to detail, and yet, it was simple and elegant at the same time.

Kurama moved to tip her chin so that she was facing him again. "Don't be nervous. We're all here to help you get through this. We can even visit Koenma to see if he knows anything else about what will happen on Thursday, if you would like to." He noticed she blushed slightly at the motion he had made, but his comment seemed to have helped because there was more light in her eyes now. She gave him a full smile this time. "Thank you, I'd like that." She set the pot onto the stove to simmer and put on the lid. "Well, all we have to do know is wait. It should be done in about half an hour. Would you mind showing me around some of the temple grounds while we wait?" He agreed and led her out. He had a place in mind. Not too far a walk away, the grounds even connected to the ocean and it was a beautiful, peaceful scene in the morning.

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><p><strong>Plot picks up next chapter. I swear. Reviews anyone? :3<strong>


	7. Chapter 6

**I should make more of an effort to make these updates regular. Hmm. Oh well. **

**Disclaimer: Character rights go to Yoshihiro Togashi.**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Miyuki extended her right leg and tucked in her left, reaching for her foot in a stretch. She was looking forward to this; well, she was looking forward to getting her powers even more, but this was good too. It was Tuesday, the sun was shining, and in a couple of minutes, they would begin their training. She didn't care for school much, but she had always loved physical education. It was the only subject she had excelled at, even though most people instantly assumed that because of her height, she wouldn't be very athletic. She was actually pretty good at most sports, but the self-defense classes were always her strong point. That and horse-back riding, but of course school didn't have that. She realized that she missed her horse; she'd have to see if she could go get her at the first possible chance.

She was currently sitting off to the side of a large, circular stone ring. Kurama had told her that they often sparred or trained here, and that it was much like the rings they used in tournaments. He came over to her. "Misuzu said she realizes how excited you are and wants you to go first. We can begin when you are ready. We'll all take a part in your training, and we'll all help you in different aspects, but if you'd like, you can chose who you'd like to begin with."

Miyuki looked around. The boys were here and her sister and Yukina were sitting on a bench off to the side. "Hey, where's Hiei?" "Oh, don't worry. He is likely watching from a tree, and it would not be the best idea to begin with him anyway." She nodded. "Well, I guess I'll have to do with Yusuke."

He was grinning. "Heck yeah! Let's go!" She followed him onto the ring. "So Yusuke, what am I doing first?" "Let's just see how you fight. Basic martial arts, gimme all you got." "Alright, but I'm a bit rusty."

She gave him a hard round kick to his side and it connected. "Shit, wasn't expecting that. You've got a nice kick for a short, human woman." Jab, cross, elbow, knee. Miyuki smirked; she still remembered some things. Yusuke was lying curled up on the floor. "Is that all you've got? You are half demon aren't you?" "Yeah well, I'm a human male too. Did you really have to knee me there?" "Sorry about that. You said I was short remember? My knee was aiming for your stomach, but it couldn't reach it." He jumped back up. "You suck. Okay, I won't stand and take your hits anymore. I won't hold back. Well, I mean I won't use my demon abilities or spiritual abilities on you. Cuz I don't wanna hurt you too badly you know?" "Oh Yusuke, you are such a dork. It's a good thing Keiko loves you. Can you stop mumbling and get back to training?"

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><p>Misuzu smiled; her sister really was pretty good. The self-defense instructor always loved Miyuki, unlike herself. After first seeing what she could do, Yusuke started drilling her sister. She noticed that Yusuke's style was like street fighting. Miyuki on the other hand fought more...professionally? She wasn't quite sure what to term it. They'd been at it for about an hour and a half.<p>

She'd taken the chance to get to know Yukina better. She was a really nice girl, and after hearing her story about her lost twin brother, she sincerely wanted to help the girl. She couldn't imagine what it would be like going all her life without knowing whether Miyuki was dead or alive.

About thirty minutes ago, Kurama and Kuwabara had taken to sparring to pass the time, and for a while, Misuzu had watched. At first, she was worried that one of them would get seriously hurt, but Yukina had assured her they would stop before any of their wounds became too dangerous and that she could heal them if need be. It was rather interesting to watch actually. Kuwabara was a street fighter too, and throwing punches was the way he began the fight. Later, what appeared to be glowing, orange swords appeared in his hands. Yukina then explained what they were to her. Kurama fought very differently. She didn't see him throw any punches; instead, he had been using a large, green whip with thorns that had seemingly been conjured from a rose. He was able to remain calm and elegant, and lithely avoided many of Kuwabara's attacks.

Watching them had made Misuzu a little more curious as to what kinds of abilities she would have. Yesterday, Kurama had taken her to see Koenma. Even though he wasn't able to tell her much, it did make her feel better about Thursday. Of course, she wasn't overly excited like her sister, but she was a little curious now. Koenma said that the seals on their wrists might be an indication of what powers or what type of demon they would turn into. She had discussed it with Kurama afterward, and he figured that Miyuki would become some sort of youkai that had wings. As for herself, they weren't quite so sure. They had come up with the ability to create peripheral fields, accounting for the bird cage itself. There was no image of a bird, but in relation to that, they thought that she could have a bird form or the ability to control either air or earth.

Misuzu hopped down from the ring and walked over to her. "I'm tired. Your turn, Misuzu!" She sighed and stepped onto the platform. Approaching Yusuke, she warned, "Yusuke, just so you know, unlike my sister, I have no self-defense or martial arts skills whatsoever." He laughed. "You're just being modest, Misuzu. Get ready!" His fist came towards her face and she bent backwards, just barely avoiding it. "Damn, you're pretty flexible." He smirked, and continued. "I can think of some ways that flexibility would come in handy." She blushed and muttered, "Pervert." "Haha, okay, let's see how you do in a fist fight."

About half an hour later, Yusuke stopped. Her fist had only connected with his face once. "No offense, but you were right. You're awful, although you can dodge and avoid really well. We're really gonna have to work at this." She blushed again and looked down, saying, "I know. I apologize." She heard Hiei speak from the sidelines; apparently, he got here not too long ago. "You're weak, onna." Then Kuwabara, who had finished sparring with Kurama, encouraged her by saying, "Don't listen to the shrimp. You'll get better. I mean, for a couple of years of my life, I could never beat Yusuke. But I never gave up." "I have an idea. Perhaps a weapon would suit you better. We could ask Koenma if you could look through his weapon stores. On second thought, I probably have a lot in some of my dens back in Makai as well," inputted Kurama. She smiled; it sounded promising. "That's not fair," she heard her sister mutter, and she laughed.

Suddenly, something large passed overhead, briefly obscuring the sun. Misuzu looked up to see a large, black bird circling in the sky. She heard Kurama say, "That's odd. If I'm right, that's a gyrfalcon. They don't live in Japan, and they're usually white." After circling a few more times, it dropped what appeared to be a small piece of black paper and flew away. Hiei quickly jumped up and caught the sheet of paper. She noticed it had writing on it in white. Hiei read the note and dropped it, so Yusuke picked it up to read to the rest of the group."Hello daughters. I hope you are enjoying your new home. You can expect a visit on Thursday. Happy birthday."

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><p><strong>Hooray! And here the story begins. <strong>


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho!**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Misuzu was lying in bed early Thursday morning. She didn't feel like getting up yet, so she was just lying back with her eyes closed, thinking about the past few days. After the falcon had dropped the note on Tuesday, the boys had assured her and her sister that if it came to a fight, they would do everything they could to protect them. But after that, no one had felt like training anymore and they stopped. It was an odd note written in a detached language that lacked the warmth of a father; it wasn't exactly ominous, but in a way, it was creepy and no one had felt good about it. The rest of the day was lazy and relaxed for all of them, except for Kuwabara, who had returned to studying. He was aiming to become a veterinarian, so he was still in school. She had thought that it strange that he didn't go to school in the morning, but apparently, the school he was studying at was very lenient and if he wanted to, he only had to go every other day. Very unusual, especially for student in the medical field. Yusuke only opened up the "ramen stand" when he got bored or needed some extra money and Kurama said he didn't work, so they only had to wait for Keiko to return until they could all go to the beach.

Yesterday, Botan had taken her to look through Reikai's weapon stores, the ones that weren't dark and dangerous though, of course. Misuzu took a dagger and matching throwing knives that were silver and had beautifully crafted, intricate hilts with what appeared to be vines snaking across them. She wasn't quite satisfied, but at that moment, they had felt the best in her hands. Maybe some time later, she would ask Botan to take her back; it was an incredible armory, and they only got to look through one section. Kurama would've taken her, but he had forgotten that he promised his mother he would visit that day.

Misuzu sighed. Hearing that, she wanted to go visit the Hakase's, but she didn't have any way of getting there. Keiko and Kurama already took their cars, leaving Yusuke and Kuwabara's motorcycles, which she couldn't ride. Shizuru also had a car, but on second thought, she didn't want to ask her to drive her because the it was probably a little far. And seeing how she wasn't quite sure where the temple was located, she couldn't take a bus or ask to borrow Shizuru's car either. She would have to ask Yukina or someone else where exactly they were living.

She got up to take a shower, wash up, and change. She was twenty-one today. She didn't feel different this morning though; perhaps they had been born later in the day. They had never known their mother, so they never had the chance to ask. She left her room and entered the main house, idly walking around. When she got to the big, empty room in the back, she realized it was no longer completely bare. In one corner, by a large window sat a crystal grand piano. The only crystal one she had ever seen or played was at the Hakase's house. Moving closer, she saw that it was the exact same one. There was a note and a single rose laying on top of the piano. She smiled and read the note. "Happy birthday, Misuzu. This is your gift from the Hakase's who are all wishing you'll have a special day. -Kurama" She had a fairly good guess at what Miyuki would be getting. No wonder Kurama was gone so long yesterday; it seemed that he had payed the Hakase's a visit after his mother. Longingly, she wished that he had taken her along with him. But then, she realized how considerate he had been already and smiled.

Misuzu lifted up the piano cover and lightly ran her fingers across the familiar keys. The piano used to be in the drawing room at her old house. She wondered if they would get a new one to replace it. Hoping it wouldn't be loud enough to wake anyone, she began to play Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess. It was one of her favorites; classical music, like reading, was another one of her soft spots. She didn't often bring it up often though because she was afraid of the people who would laugh and tease her, saying that she was a boring person. Now Kurama knew about it too. She had only been playing for a few minutes when she heard the sound of glass shattering in the kitchen and her sister's scream.

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><p>Miyuki wrapped her arms around Yumi's neck and nuzzled her face into her mane. She had to tiptoe slightly, but she could manage. Like what her name implied, she was a beautiful horse. She was a black Arab that Miyuki had tamed and trained on her own. She found her grazing this morning with a note from the Hakase's and Kurama tied very loosely around her neck. She'd have to ask him later where her saddle and other things were. "I missed you too. I'll ride you later, okay?"<p>

She walked into the main building to hear her sister just beginning Pavane on the piano. That must have been her gift. She'd tell Misuzu happy birthday when she was done playing. The house was mostly empty. Hiei was sitting in one corner of a windowsill and she moved to sit down on the other side.

"Good morning Hiei." He glanced at her briefly before turning to look out the window. "You don't have anything to say to me? A good morning in return or maybe happy birthday?" Quietly, he said, "Age does not mean anything. I do not understand why you humans celebrate growing older each year." "Okay then..I'm going to go get something to drink.."

Miyuki stood at the kitchen counter, sipping her water slowly. She woke with a headache this morning and it was slowly becoming worse. A sudden, sharp pain briefly coursed through her body and she gritted her teeth. Was this part of whatever would happen when her seal was released? The pain returned, only ten times worse. She felt as if her body was on fire for a couple of seconds before the fire seemed to focus in on her back. Her sister was still playing. Why was it only happening to her? She dropped her glass, fell to her knees, and let out a scream. The last thing she knew before she blacked out was that Hiei was suddenly there to catch her.

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><p>Miyuki woke up sweating. The pain was still there, worse than any other pain she had ever felt. Where was she? She let her eyes wander, as moving her head felt like it would require too much energy. Living room couch. Almost everyone was in the room, looking at her with worried faces.<p>

"Miyuki, I'm sorry. I don't know why this is only happening to you." "Don't apologize, I can take pain better than you.. You'd be screaming like a little girl.."Her breathing was labored and she gave her sister a pained smile.

"Hey, what happened? I heard you scream and you look terrible! Are you okay?" SLAP. "Yusuke, you insensitive jerk!" She chuckled weakly. "Yeah well.. I feel like shit...My body feels like it's on fire...especially my back. Help turn me over so I'm lying on my stomach." She grimaced as Keiko helped her move. Was Keiko really going to go to work late because of her? "Can I...I need some painkillers..."

"Yukina will see to you. She just left a moment ago to get some things. You weren't out very long, a few minutes at the most," explained Kurama. "You are running a high fever and a great deal of tension and pressure has accumulated around your shoulders and shoulder blades. If my predictions are correct, your wings are emerging." He added a small, comforting smile towards the end. "That is...so cool. Can't wait to see them." A pause. "You know, I always wondered what it'd feel like to get hit by a car or shot, just to see how painful it would be...And, I guess, in a way, I got my birthday wish," Miyuki said before the pain once more caused her to lose consciousness.

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><p><strong>Well, happy birthday to my OC's. (:<strong>


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: Convenience wise, shorter chapters are easier to read, I think. But oh well. I'm doubling my chapters now so this story doesn't drag out forever. And everyone enjoys longer chapters right? :3**

**Disclaimer: I'm not getting any money for this story. **

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

This time, Miyuki regained consciousness in her bed. She instantly realized that she was no longer in agonizing pain; Yukina's healing abilities must have worked well. The pain had disappeared, but her upper body now felt incredibly sore. Lying face down was becoming uncomfortable. She slowly sat up and looked at the clock. It was almost noon. Not such a great way to start off her birthday, huh.

When she got off her bed, she fell forward and caught herself on her forearms. To no one in particular, she said,"Ugh, at times like this I wish I had Misuzu's balance." She looked back over her shoulder to see if anything was on the ground that she tripped over, to find that the cause of her sense of imbalance was her new pair of wings. She carefully picked herself off the floor and moved to the bathroom to get a better look in the mirror. Good thing she had chosen to wear a tube top this morning; it left her shoulders and upper back uncovered. "These are awesome," Miyuki muttered to herself, running her hands along them gently. Her wings looked just like the one on her wrist; they reminded her of a bat. Considering that her father was Lucifer, she was expecting the black, feathered wings of a fallen angel. She didn't mind though. It was pretty cool all the same, and they weren't quite as large and troublesome as angel wings.

When she got outside, Miyuki moved off of the stone path and onto the grass. She may have just gotten the wings, and was still sore, but she couldn't wait to give flying a shot. It wouldn't hurt just to try right? She wasn't quite sure how to go about getting the wings to work; luckily, she just thought about rising up and it came naturally. She hovered at about four feet in the air for a couple of seconds before it became too strenuous to hold and her body fell to the ground.

"And I guess I'm not a cat either," Miyuki grimaced and mumbled to herself as she once again achingly picked herself off the ground. She had landed on her back and her wings now hurt even more. She laughed it off. "That was fun though. I definitely need to master flying after I get over my soreness." She turned around to walk back towards the house.

Kuwabara, always the chivalrous knight, slid the doors open for her as he noticed her approaching. "Feelin' better, Miyuki? Yukina's a great healer, isn't she?" She nodded. "Thank you. Yeah, it doesn't hurt anymore. I'm just sore all over. Thank her for me, will you?" "Sure. You could ask Kurama for an herbal tea. He has plants for all sorts of stuff. Woah! Check out those wings! You haven't turned into some sort of vampire demon have you?" She chuckled at the expression he made when she answered, "Yes Kuwabara, I'm going to suck your blood now. Thanks for the tip by the way, I'll go ask him now." "No problem. Oh and happy birthday!"

"Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen. Kurama was reading at the kitchen table. "Hey Kurama, Kuwabara said you could give me an herbal tea or something since I'm feeling pretty sore." "I'll get it right away. I'm glad your feeling better." He got up to smile at her and set some water to boil, but stopped in his tracks.

"Kurama?" Miyuki asked. He was staring at her blankly. His face dropped. "What's wrong?" She just barely heard him whisper the name Kuronue. Who was that? "Kurama, who's Kuronue?" His face rose and he gave her a smile. She could tell something still was not quite right though. She'd ask Hiei or Yusuke later; Hiei probably wouldn't give her an answer, but it seemed as if the two knew each other the best.

"It's nothing. I'll go get the tea."

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><p>After drinking down the tea, Miyuki didn't feel quite as sore. She had to admit that although it didn't taste good, it definitely worked. Yukina came into the kitchen to start lunch and checked up on her while she was at it. She was glad to see that Miyuki was no longer in pain, but recommended that she rest before she tried flying again. Kurama told her that her horse was in small stable that he had arranged for to be built and that her sister went to her room with the complaint of a headache about an hour ago, so she didn't stay to help make lunch.<p>

The stable was just behind the bedrooms. She was surprised she didn't notice it earlier, or maybe Kurama had had it built while she was unconscious. She made her way over there after seeing if Misuzu was alright and chatting for a while. Her sister's headache had gone and she was just fine. She had gone through a small transformation too, although it wasn't quite as visible as a pair of wings and was not nearly as painful. Misuzu's complexion was now more pale and her ears had grown to be slender and pointed, almost like an elf's. Was she slightly taller and thinner too? She couldn't tell for sure.

Miyuki was surprised to find Yumi nuzzling her head against Hiei's cheek, his hand resting on her neck. She hadn't known him long and didn't know very much about him, but it seemed completely uncharacteristic of him. He turned around and stared at her. "Ugh, you too? Who's this Kuronue guy?" "A man from the fox's past...I didn't know him." "Oh, then why are you staring at me?" She watched as a smirk played across his face. "Your new youkai stench is awful." "Thanks. Every girl loves being told that," she said dryly. She picked up her brush and began combing Yumi's mane in silence.

Unexpectedly, Hiei restarted the conversation. "Ningens call this a horse right? I like it. I expect it would be useful in battle." "She's not an it! Her name is Yumi. And you are so clueless Hiei! She's a friend and a partner. I don't ride her because she would give me an advantage in some stupid battle. I need to teach you; then you'll realize that it's for the joy of riding and connecting with your horse." He merely said, "Humans have pointless hobbies," and walked away. She smiled to herself; even if he didn't admit it, she could tell that Hiei had a soft spot for her horse. "Sorry Yumi. I'm too sore. Tomorrow morning, I promise." Yumi neighed and muzzled her cheek. She really was a sweet horse, even if she had originally been wild.

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><p>Misuzu found Kurama in the piano room, sitting on the couch Keiko had ordered that arrived earlier today. "Kurama, Yukina says lunch is ready." He was sitting with his face in his hands. "Are you coming?" Softly, he replied, "Do you mind playing me something first? Perhaps Chopin? I...I need something to take my mind off things..." "Okay..." She wondered if he was alright. He seemed rather melancholy. She sat down at the piano bench and played a Chopin nocturne and when she finished, went to sit beside Kurama.<p>

"Thank you," he whispered. "That was beautiful." Silence. Would he tell her if she asked? Tentatively, she said, "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I'll lend an ear and .. if I can, I'll try to help." "Kuronue." Miyuki mentioned that Kurama had spaced out and said that name after he saw her wings. "Your sister reminded me of him." He laughed half-heartedly and turned towards her. "I don't know why I'm being so sentimental. I came to term with his death years ago."

"Who was he?" "Kuronue was," Kurama smiled, "He was once my partner, lover, and best friend during my lifetime as Youko." She smiled back. Kuronue must have been a good man. "Don't worry. Everyone carries scars on their heart." "Funny. Hiei told me nearly the same thing the last time I mourned for him." Their eyes met and before she knew what she was doing, Misuzu leaned forward and pressed her lips to his briefly in a kiss. He didn't push her away, but he didn't return the kiss either. She pulled away and looked down with a blush, muttering, "I'm sorry. I don't know what overcame me.." What was she doing? Her affections for Kurama were growing and he just admitted that he didn't care for women in that way.

"It's... alright." Kurama noticed it a few moments before she did and quickly snapped back to his usual self. Two powerful, dark presences were approaching, followed by three lesser ones. "Misuzu, gather everyone together. I believe we're about to meet your father."

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><p>The air was tense. No one knew quite what to expect. Should they be preparing for battle or not? Regardless, they had gathered in a field outside and circled up into a tight formation, waiting as the figures slowly approached. Yusuke was at the front, hand cocked and ready to fire his spirit gun. Kurama and Hiei stood to the left and right with rose whip and katana at hand. Standing at the back, Kuwabara's swords glimmered bright orange. Misuzu could tell that her sister was annoyed that they were placed in the middle of the formation like weak, useless girls that needed protection. She saw the logic in it though; they were far less experienced after all.<p>

She was not expecting a fight. It would be very unlikely since there were only five demons approaching, and the way they were walking radiated, at best, no bloodlust. Otherwise, an eerie feeling followed their arrogant and cold appearances. They stopped a little more than a yard in front of Yusuke. She saw Yusuke fidget slightly in front of her. "Yo, what do you guys want?"

"Urameshi Yusuke, son of Raizen. What an honor to meet you." The man in front spoke with disdain and a mocking tone. His voice was deep, but not threatening. This youkai, as well as the one beside him, had a human appearance and by human standards, very handsome. "A word with my daughters," he demanded. Yusuke stepped aside warily. "Try anything, I won't hesitate to shoot."

Moments passed in silence. Finally, "Misuzu, Miyuki. Aren't you going to greet your father?" Misuzu heard her sister growl from beside her. "I won't call you my _daddy_, Lucifer." "Come now, where are your manners? If you'd prefer, you can address me as Lord Akiyama, the name of this youkai I've taken. At least say hello to your mother." She looked to the woman next to him. Half of her face was disfigured and her arms had long scars running down them, but she was elegant nonetheless. "Mother?" Misuzu whispered. He laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry, but your mother cannot speak. I severed her vocal cords and gave her these scars long ago for defying me and hiding you, my daughters. I think they enhance her beauty. Wouldn't you agree?" He caressed her face and added two thin cuts to her cheek. She whipped away and held her head high. This man was sick. Misuzu already held a small respect for this woman she barely knew.

"But in the end, your mother's actions proved most valuable. You ended up with these _spirit detectives_," he spat out the last two words. He paused and his tone of voice changed. "I had already obtained nearly all of them. They were sitting in my dungeon, just waiting to be used. I was having trouble finding the last few. It seems my daughters have led me to the perfect keys." He laughed. His laugh made her uncomfortable. "I can just kill the others now. They no longer give me any pleasure anyway." What was he talking about? Kurama was observing him carefully. "Would you care to elaborate, Lucifer?"

Misuzu's father turned a cold eye towards him. "My my, the pitiful Youko Kurama plays me for a fool that will reveal his plans. Perhaps I'll leave you with a parting hint. I don't need you all at this moment in time. However, one of you will join me now. I believe we can have some fun first. You have twenty hours to decide. Happy birthday darlings." Hiei's katana rushed forward, but the five youkai had already disappeared.

"We're not goin' with you!" Kuwabara shouted into the distance. Misuzu opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly clutched her head and fell to her knees. Out of the corners of her eyes, she noticed that the others had as well, with the exception of Hiei. She figured the same painfully loud message was coursing through their minds.

"_A wingless elf gifted with flight, a lost twin in company. A thief on stolen time, a half-breed born thrice. A misplaced soldier, and a soiled child of the shadows. Manipulators of the six elements on earth. Not six, not twelve. Eight keys... A wingless elf gifted with flight, a lost twin found. A thief on stolen time, a half-breed born thrice. A misplaced soldier, and a soiled child of the shadows. Manipulators of the six elements on earth. Not six, not twelve. Eight keys... A wingless..."_

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><p>They discussed it a little during lunch. They had figured out that Lucifer needed these eight "keys", these eight people. Apparently, he had difficulty finding these people because four of them had to have elemental abilities as well. They assumed he had the other two locked up. They still didn't know what plans he had- only that his plans required the six of them, and none of them would go with him willingly. It seemed that Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama each knew where they stood, and with the two left over, easily deduced which terms corresponded to Misuzu and Miyuki. They seemed to ignore the "soiled" part though; it would be a rude question to ask and one that neither Misuzu or Miyuki would want to answer.<p>

It wasn't difficult; it was a rather simple message, not heavily laid with codes meant to be deciphered in a prophecy. Misuzu wondered why the four of them did not wish to speak about it very much. She figured out Yusuke and Kuwabara without much trouble; Yusuke had already told them his life story and Kuwabara was the only human in the group. Hiei and Kurama were still, in a sense, mysterious strangers. She didn't know much about their pasts.

After lunch, they went out to train and confirm her and Miyuki's abilities. "A wingless elf gifted with flight," Kurama had explained to her. "The extinct race of winged elves. Elves are neither human or demon. However, some youkai resemble them in both genetics, appearances, and abilities although they typically have a difference that makes them stand out, whether its a physical difference or difference in personality. They are hard to come upon naturally, these elven youkai; only one or two are born every five centuries. I believe the drugs Lucifer fed your mother genetically altered you and your sister to become what he wished for you to be. So you became the wingless elf gifted with flight and your sister the child of shadows. You should be able to control air and fly despite the fact that these elves typically have wings."

Kurama was right. She was discovering that she possessed basic elven abilities such as heightened senses and increased agility, balance, and grace, as well as the power to manipulate the air around them from her seal. She felt so much lighter on her feet and a strange happiness to be alive.

It turned out that the gift Kurama had gotten her matched her abilities as well. They had planned to celebrate and open presents when Keiko and Botan came home, but with the turn of events, Kurama had decided to give them to her early. They were two matching war fans, as sharp as any sword, and aided her in controlling the air. Misuzu thought they were beautiful; they were silver and had floral patterns in subtle pinks and greens. When she remarked that they must have been expensive because of how well-made they were and asked where he had bought them, he looked away. Was Kurama the "thief on stolen time?"

"Yo Misuzu! I hear you're part elf now." Yusuke was walking towards her, a grin plastered on his face. "How's about we test out those new powers of yours?" "Okay," Misuzu replied. Smiling back at him, she sent a gust of wind towards him, pushing him back a couple of feet. When he rushed towards her, she ducked beneath his arm and swept her leg out, knocking him off his feet. Yusuke jumped back up. "Hm. Better than before, I guess." She just smiled and replied with a thank you before doing a couple of back-flips to regain some distance. She whipped out her fans and began to observe her opponent.

Five minutes later, Yusuke was yelling at her from the ground. "Misuzuuu, come down! I'm sorry for laughing and teasing. I couldn't help it really! They're just so girly, you know? You can't blame me! Hey, don't be like Jin! He always retreats up into the air. I won't laugh anymore! You can come down now." Misuzu giggled. Yusuke could be pretty childish sometimes. He looked down for a brief second and she took her chance, even though she relished the feeling of being airborne. "Hey! Where'd you go? Misuzu, where'd you disappear to?" She alighted just behind Yusuke. Yusuke must have sensed her energy because he shouted, "There you are!" and whipped around. She smiled and innocently said, "I win, Yusuke." His neck was lightly pressed against one of her fans, just barely letting out a small trickle of blood. He gulped and stepped back. "Sorry," he said again.

"Apology accepted. I was never angry with you Yusuke. Next time though, I expect a real fight because you weren't trying at all." Yusuke laughed and gave her a thumbs up. She walked back towards her sister and the others who had all stopped to watch, expecting an interesting fight. Yukina came out of the house and was bringing over a tray of bowls and spoons. "Would anyone like a break for ice cream?" she asked sweetly. And like hungry wolves that had just laid eyes upon a sheep, she was rushed by Yusuke and Kuwabara.

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><p>I'd very much like to hear your two cents, so click that review button? (:<p> 


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: I know, it's been a while, like 3 weeks. We went back to Taiwan and I didn't take my laptop with me, so I didn't get to write or upload anything. Just got back, and I still haven't written anything new, but this was pretty much finished, so here's Chapter 9. Pardon any errors or anything, eheh, I edited while sleepy and jetlagged. ^^;**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

Returning to his room after showering, Kurama sat down on his bed and began to brush his hair. He made a mental note to trim it within a week. It had been a long day for everyone, what with Miyuki's painful transformation this morning, their encounter with Lucifer, and a long training and sparring session. Then Keiko and Botan had thrown a party for Misuzu and Miyuki's birthday. It would've run much later into the night with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan becoming ridiculously drunk, but the fact that Lucifer was returning in the morning made everyone realize that it was not the wisest idea. He glanced at the clock. 12:53. That was the shortest party he had ever seen them throw.

Kurama heard a knock on his door. The door opened and a quiet voice asked, "Kurama, may I come in?" "Sure. Do you need anything Misuzu? You should get some sleep." She stepped in and went to sit at his desk chair. "No, nothing in particular...I couldn't seem to fall asleep. Would you mind if we talked for a little?" "Not at all. I think you'll find that you can't sleep anymore in general. Elves and many youkai do not sleep; instead, they fall into a deeply relaxed state where they remain conscious at a minute level. Clear your mind and slow your breathing, like you would in meditation; if that doesn't help you fall right into it, I can give you something to help you sleep," he offered.

"Oh. Thank you." A faint blush tinted her cheeks and she seemed a little uncomfortable. He realized that it was because he was shirtless. He often slept without a shirt, but was almost always fully clothed outside of his room. Yusuke had once joked about how he never showed any skin. Walking over to his closet, he pulled out a sweater and asked her about how long she had been playing the piano and her favorite classical composers. It was something they both showed interest in, and he figured it would help make her feel more comfortable. It worked and he got to know a little more about her.

Suddenly, she asked, "Kurama, what does 'a thief on stolen time' mean?" He tensed, only for a second, but she noticed it. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just curious..that's all. I understand if you'd rather not discuss it though. There are times from my past I'd rather not relive as well." He had to admit that he was curious about her too, this girl that he had met only six days ago and kissed just yesterday. Misuzu and her sister were both different from the girls he had met and worked with in high school as well as his step-father's company which he had worked in for a couple of years once he had graduated.

"Yusuke and Kuwabara have told you about their lives. Hiei and I...our lives were very different. It's true that I am the 'thief on stolen time' and that he is the 'lost twin in company.'" "Yukina and Hiei are twins, aren't they?" Misuzu was a smart girl. "That is not my secret to tell. Hiei has his reasons." He saw her nod in understanding. He paused and thought for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell her.

"I am a thief living on stolen time in a stolen body... I was a notorious bandit in Makai. I was cruel, arrogant, proud, calculating, and cold. I had everything I wanted- wealth, luxury, and lovers. I'm somewhat...ashamed that my gift to you was something I had stolen from a treasury, and that I can even still remember that exact mission. It was one of my lasts with Kuronue." He sighed, "But that was how I lived my past life."

When he stopped to once again collect his thoughts, Misuzu commented, "Your past conduct is nothing to be ashamed of. We live in the present, not in the past nor the future. The Kurama that I know is an intelligent, modest, thoughtful, kind, and attractive man, and...and that's all that matters." Did she say attractive? He nodded and smiled. "I know, thank you."

"I was heavily injured by a hunter once," he continued. "I escaped into Ningenkai and my spirit entered and took over this body, the body of Shuichi Minamino, while he was still in the mother's womb. I had planned to return to Makai after a couple of years but... I became attached to my human mother." He smiled. "Call me weak if you will, but Shiori taught me what it meant to love and be loved."

"Thank you for telling me," he heard Misuzu say. She moved towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Love is not a weak, pitiful human emotion," she said before walking to the door. "It's really quite the opposite - it makes a man strong and gives him a reason to live and continue fighting." She paused for a moment with her hand on the doorknob. Without looking back, she whispered, "My sister thinks I trust men and fall far too easily. I'm sorry about the kiss earlier. I don't want to cause you trouble, so I'll try to end my affection before it begins. Goodnight, Kurama," and exited his room.

Kurama stared at his closed door for a few minutes after she left. She had admitted that she was beginning to like him in a way that was completely different from his past experiences. She did not wildly proclaim her love for him, nor was there any attempt at seduction involved. He did not know yet whether he could reciprocate that, whether he saw her as more than a friend or not. Only time would tell. But why was she apologizing? Why did she say she wanted to end her affection? It couldn't be because she didn't approve of his past – her words said otherwise. Thinking back to their shared conversations, he realized that she must have made a false assumption about his sexuality. He fell asleep pondering why he suddenly cared that Misuzu needed to know he was bisexual.

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><p>The next morning, Hiei found himself being yelled at by Miyuki. "Hiei, what are you doing sleeping outside my room like a stalker? Don't you have your own room? You have a bed, you know!" He blinked at her. Did it matter where he slept? It was his choice. Most parts of Makai did not have beds. He hadn't even known he was outside her room until she opened her curtains and started yelling.<p>

"This tree happens to be right next to my room as well. And it does not concern you whether I chose a bed or a branch. Quit your screaming." He jumped down and stuck his hands in his pockets, turning to leave. "Hey! Where are you going?" she called after him. He sighed. Did he have to explain every little thing to her? "Twenty hours is in ten minutes," was all he gave her as an answer before he walked away.

He had not walked far when she appeared before him on her horse and blocked his path. Hiei thought the horse was intriguing; he had never seen a creature of the like in Makai. It was majestic and mysterious, and it carried itself with power, pride, and grace.

He wondered how the girl had gotten there so quickly for a brief moment before he realized that she know had wings and had probably flown. He looked up to stare at her and she gazed back. "Move." Her horse neighed, as if to say no in defiance. "Shh shh, it's okay Yumi... Hiei, you could just walk around."

It was like she was purposely aggravating him. He didn't appreciate being told what to do, but seeing that she was clearly stubborn and would not move, he did just that. He walked around just to receive a kick in the chest from her horse. She got down to offer him a hand, but he just ignored it, picked himself up, and continued walking. She came up to walk beside him, leading her horse by the reigns. She laughed and said, "Never approach a horse from behind."

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><p>Hiei kept up with Makai politics, as he often visited Mukuro. He didn't need the explanation like Yusuke or Kurama, who only received updates every once in a while, but Lucifer did offer him a new piece of knowledge. He hadn't known the reason behind the change of rules.<p>

"In approximately seven weeks, it will once again be time for Makai's so called '_election tournament._' There has been a change of rules this year." He laughed. "It was quite simple, really. All I had to do was kill the tournament organizers and rewrite the rules." He paused. "I'm sure you are all familiar with the Dark Tournament. Teams of five. I've decided to be kind and spare you six the trouble of deciding who is left out. Who wishes to join me?" When no one responded, he said, "Oh, don't all come rushing at once. This tournament is all just a piece of entertainment before my real plans begin. It won't hurt to play along."

Yusuke growled. "We're not joining you, so you might as well just tell us your real plans. Actually, fuck that; screw Koenma. We can just take you out now." The detective was still visibly pissed. Upon his arrival, Lucifer presented them with a 'gift'. A servant of his placed in front of the group two dead bodies, a human man and woman. They had both been stripped naked and mutilated. It had disgusted and angered them all. The man's eyes had been gouged out, his fingers and toes chopped off, and his sex organ cut in half. The woman's throat was slit and she had whip lashes plastered all over her body. Even worse, it seemed that she had been pregnant and quite far along; her womb was cut open and the fetus was taken out, placed lying limp and bloody on her chest. Hiei agreed with Yusuke though - they should just attack him now and be done with it.

Both Hiei and Yusuke simultaneously charged towards Lucifer. They had not advanced more than a couple of steps when they were forced to the ground and their limbs were bound by an invisible force. Hiei struggled to stand, but was forced back down. It seemed like this Lucifer had powerful telekinetic abilities. Either that, or one of the cloaked figures behind him did. "Oh, the son of Raizen and the Forbidden Child have volunteered. I'm terribly sorry, but I can't take you both. Perhaps one of my daughters would like to spend some time with their father instead." By the same telekinetic powers, the two girls were pulled ahead of the group and forced onto their knees as well.

Miyuki looked up and spat out, "Go back to Hell and fuck yourself. Just let them go. I'm not going anywhere with you." Hiei watched Lucifer walk over to the two sisters. "Miyuki dear, defiance seems to suit you well. I like it. And what of you, Misuzu? I've hardly heard you speak since your father arrived." Misuzu only turned her head and whispered, "You are no father of mine." Lucifer laughed. "Wrong answer. You'll do." Within seconds, he grabbed her, put a knife to her throat, and vanished.

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><p>A week and a half had passed and they were still arguing. They may not have known each other for very long, but the group already considered Misuzu and Miyuki as a part of their family. And they were not taking to Misuzu's capture very well. Yusuke was bitching at everyone, Kuwabara was yelling back, and Kurama was blaming himself. As for Hiei, no one had seen him all week. Miyuki was pissed too, but screaming at each other was pointless. Her nerves were becoming frayed, her mood swings becoming more frequent and severe. Some of her friends in high school had once joked about how she might be mildly bipolar. Maybe she was.<p>

She had put her whole self into training instead. Koenma had said the best chance they had of recovering her sister was at the tournament, so she completely devoted herself to getting stronger. Originally, she and Yusuke had tried to run off to Makai to track down Lucifer and her sister, but the Reikai prince stopped them. So she was currently working on perfecting her powers. It was already late at night and no one else was still outside with her.

She could control shadows and manipulate dark energy, so working at night actually made it easier for her. Miyuki discovered that she could impede a person's movement by stepping on their shadows. She could make minor shadow spirits work for her as well as bend some of them to create illusions. She found dark energy harder to work with, but easier when she was angry or frustrated. But when that happened, she really had to focus so as not to lose herself. At the moment, she was working with a sword she had created from dark energy. Unlike Kuwabara's energy swords, hers looked more refined and less edgy. She had been toying around with the shape and for the time being, decided on a sword that was much like a katana, except that it was double-edged and a couple centimeters shorter. Hiei had picked the perfect time to disappear. Even though she hated to admit it, she realized she needed to be trained by someone who was a sword master.

Frustrated, Miyuki dropped to her knees and drove her fist into the ring hard. She couldn't yet keep the energy in the form of a sword for much more than ten minutes straight. As she became more worn out, the time decreased even more still; this last time, she had only managed for a couple of seconds before it flickered and died out. She cursed loudly, winced at the pain, and pulled her arm out. Her hand was bleeding. Had she broken a knuckle or two? She began to trudge back towards the house. Eventually, she decided she could just sleep outside and collapsed onto the grass, laying on her back, gazing at the stars. It helped calm her down.

A few minutes later, Hiei's face came into her view. His eyes were dull and lifeless; dark bags hung under them. His clothing had been reduced to rags and there was a deep gash across his right shoulder that was bleeding moderately. He looked like he could drop dead anytime now. "Only fools would overexert themselves to the point that they cannot make it back to their rooms." Before she knew it, Hiei had picked her up, ran to his room, and dropped her on his bed. How did he still have the strength to do that?

He disappeared for a brief moment and returned with a first aid kit. "Like you're one to talk. We haven't seen you all week and you show up almost in the middle of the night like this. You look like shit. No. Don't. You should take care of yourself before me." She pulled her hand away, but silently, he grabbed it back. After bandaging her hand, he attempted to take care of his shoulder. She moved towards him and took over, talking while she worked. It was just like him to not even ask for help. At least the wound looked relatively fresh; that meant it probably didn't have time to get infected yet. She expected him to push her away. All he did was tense up a bit though. He must be too tired.

"Where have you been? What happened to you? Everyone's been screaming at each other all week, even though they try not to when Keiko or Yukina are around. I miss my sister and I'm worried about her. I was confused because you disappeared. I'm annoyed by the arguing, I'm angry at Lucifer or Akiyama or whatever the hell his name is. I've been training day in and day out. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm exhausted. Physically and mentally exhausted." She found herself ranting to him and tears began to fall quietly down her cheek. "See? I don't even know why the hell I'm crying." Finished, she lay back. Hiei would probably maim her for sleeping in his room, but she didn't care. He was still there, sitting on the edge of his bed. He hadn't said a word.

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><p>Miyuki felt much better when she woke up. She didn't know why. Was it because she had sort of ranted to Hiei last night? She froze when she remembered that she cried in front of him. She'd have to punch him for that later. She felt calm and content this morning though, so maybe she wouldn't. But she did need to talk to him. She needed to know why he had been gone all week and how he had ended up completely drained and heavily injured. She would track him down herself if he had disappeared again.<p>

After searching for a few minutes, she found him in the tree outside her room. That idiot. He was hurt and he decided to sleep outside in a tree? "Hey shorty!" she teased. "Come down! I need some answers and I should probably change your bandages too!" she yelled up at him from below. He didn't respond. Figures. She summoned her wings and flew up to hover at his level. She had figured out how to detract her wings and bring them back out after a night or two of sleeping uncomfortably with them.

Miyuki grinned when she saw that Hiei's eyes were still closed in sleep. It seemed like the perfect chance to find out what he was always hiding behind that bandana. When she moved her hand to his head, his katana whipped out to lightly press against her throat. He was gazing at her weakly. "Don't touch me onna." She knew that his words were meant as a threat, only his voice lacked the edge. His sword wavered and fell from his hand, dropping to the ground. Something was wrong. She looked at his shoulder to find that the bandages had turned a purplish-black. "Hiei...I need to see your wound." Again, she received no response and she began to worry. His face was pale, his eyes were closed, and his breathing very shallow. Suddenly, he lost his balance on the branch and Miyuki took a dive, yelling out his name and racing to catch his body before it collided with the ground below.

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><p>Despite the fact that Hiei was injured and unconscious, or maybe because he had returned, just like her, everyone was in a better mood this morning. Miyuki hadn't been able to fly Hiei back to the house. She had to call over Yusuke to carry him and Yukina and Kurama were now tending to him in the living room. Yukina had wanted to look at her hand too, but she declined, saying that Hiei's condition was far worse. She and Yusuke went out to sit on the porch.<p>

"Don't worry Miyu. Hiei'll be okay. He's a strong guy." "I'm not worried. He better be. I still want some answers," she huffed. "Ugh, I shouldn't have took his bed. Then maybe that idiot wouldn't have slept outside and maybe this wouldn't have happened." "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself, kay?" "Shut up Yusuke. That's what Kurama was doing all week while you were screaming at everyone." He chuckled nervously and she laughed. "Whatever, it's all over. I'm just looking forward to seeing Misuzu again in a couple of weeks. I know she's safe physically at least. I can feel it, like some weird twin connection, you know? Lucifer wouldn't dare kill his precious 'keys' anyway."

The two pushed their worries aside and turned the day into a fun one. Shizuru was working, Kuwabara was at school, and Yukina and Kurama stayed with Hiei, so it was just the two of them. Yusuke took her into town on his motorcycle. They got pizza, went to the arcade, and just hung out for a couple of hours. Miyuki was glad for this day after how stressful the past week had been. Yusuke seemed to be back to his usual self too. He really was a good friend.

They returned late in the afternoon and Kurama filled them in over steaming cups of tea. "Hiei had been poisoned by a heavy Makai toxin. If he were any other man, he'd likely be dead. Fortunately, Hiei is a fire youkai. His high body temperature combined with Yukina's healing abilities and the sap of a Makai plant were able to cleanse his body of the toxin. He regained consciousness about an hour and a half ago and aside from fatigue, is just fine." She let out a sigh in relief. Yusuke was more fun, Kuwabara goofier, and Kurama kinder, but Hiei was a part of her new family nonetheless. After Misuzu had been taken, she couldn't take losing another.

Kurama paused. "Hiei specifically told me not to tell you...However, Miyuki, in these circumstances, I think you have the right to know...We do not make much out of Hiei's absences; he often makes unannounced trips to visit Mukuro in Makai and returns several days or even a few weeks later. Hiei went to search for Misuzu. That was the reason for his disappearance. Lucifer's castle must be extremely well hidden; nothing came out of a five day search. The reason for his injury... Hiei became frustrated and merely sought to take it out on someone. He just happened to pick the wrong opponent."

"Hah!" Yusuke laughed. "He just wants to protect his reputation. See? What'd I tell ya Miyuki? Hiei's just fine." She smiled and nodded, thinking to herself. Why would he do that? Was he seriously just as worried as the rest of them had been for her sister? Maybe she was right in thinking that behind that cold, indifferent mask was a good heart.

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><p><strong>[Hurr, random note. I adore KuramaxKuronue.]<strong>

**Reviews, thoughts, and constructive criticism are very nice. Very nice indeed. :]**


	11. Chapter 10

**AN: Yes, Tuesday's shall be my days for updates, I've decided. Since the last two were on Tuesdays anyway.**

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Miyuki knocked on Hiei's door. After a few minutes, he finally opened his door a crack. Glaring at her, he hissed, "Woman, if a person does not open his door after minutes of knocking, you should leave." She sighed. She only came to check on him. He could have died, but he was still as irritable as ever.

"Yukina sent me to see if you needed anything. Could you let me in?" she asked. She felt weird talking to him from the hallway. "I'm fine. You can leave now." "Hiei, if a person comes to your room to check on you, you should let them in." Miyuki mocked and pushed her way into his room. She figured he was still too weak to resist.

She wandered around his room before sitting down with her back against the wall. She hadn't payed much attention to it earlier. It was furnished simply in the colors black and red, and on one wall hung various swords and other weapons - very predictable.

"Woman, leave." He was staring down at her, the point of his blade mere centimeters from her face. "Glad to see you're healthy enough to threaten me again. Sheesh, I'll leave since you clearly hate my guts. You should be nicer to people." She held up her hands and walked to the door, idly wondering if he really deserved a thank you or not.

"I came to thank you, you know... So thanks for going after Misuzu and I'm sorry you got hurt doing it...I'm glad you're okay." "Hn. I was only following Koenma's mission orders," was all she got for a reply. No, "You're welcome," or ,"It's okay. Thank you for your concern." She almost wanted to slap him, but it wouldn't be right because of his condition. He was either lying and hiding that he _had_ been worried about her sister or telling the truth that he really didn't care. Miyuki muttered, "Hiei, you're incorrigible," before walking out and slamming the door behind her.

* * *

><p>There was only one more week before the tournament. Miyuki was excited; they could finally, <em>finally<em> get her sister back. She was actually looking forward to fighting in the tournament as well. She was much stronger now and she wanted a chance to fight someone other than Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei. She had never truly fought any of them though; sparring while holding back their full power was the farthest they had gone. She could occasionally win a sparring match against Yusuke, and during this past week, she beat Kuwabara perhaps every 4 out of 5 matches. Kurama was more difficult because he always thought three steps ahead and often had tricks up his sleeve. Hiei, on the other hand, was merciless and she never once defeated him. For some reason, he took sparring far more seriously than the rest of the group. However, her skills with a sword were definitely improving from her fights with him. She was determined to beat him, even if just once, as well as break through his shell. She thought she was making slight progress, if any at all. She couldn't be sure if he was talking more or not and it didn't seem like his attitude towards her had changed much at all. But, the other day, he had _sort of_ praised her during a match and she saw him sitting quietly in the stables more often now. She had to make him go horseback riding. It'd be easy enough to get him a horse and she already had a couple in mind.

Kurama told her that even though she lacked experience, by judging on youki, reiki, and sheer power alone, she could be considered of upper A class already, possibly even lower S class. They were all surprised after hearing that; no one thought it was possible. But then again, her father, no matter how much she denied it, was Lucifer. Her power accumulated over the course of twenty-one years, even though her mother sealed it and kept it dormant. Her mother had probably fed her some of her power when creating the seal too. Her youki and power also grew considerably during the last couple weeks of training and would likely grow even further during the first couple of matches in the tournament.

Koenma showed up five days before, bringing an update with him. "I thought it would be the team captain of the winning team that would become ruler of Makai. However, I just found out that it is actually the team owner. So you'll get what you want Yusuke, since you're so opposed to ruling. If I'm correct, this means Lucifer won't be fighting. It also means I can't be your team owner again. Yusuke, Kurama, do either of you know anyone who would be willing to be team owner and is worthy of becoming Makai's ruler when you five win?"

"Damn, I was looking forward to wrecking Lucifer's pretty face. Wait a sec, why can't you be our team owner and how do you know we'll win?" Yusuke asked. "I'm already prince of Reikai you idiot. I can't be ruler of Makai too, no matter how much easier negotiations and relations would become between the two worlds. And I have confidence in you five. I think it's safe to say that Lucifer's team will make the finals and you cannot let them win the tournament. Understood?"

"Well okay then." Miyuki could only listen. She didn't know anyone and didn't know about Makai politics, so she really couldn't contribute anything to the conversation. Kuwabara didn't have much to say either and Hiei was just being Hiei - listening but sitting on the windowsill by himself.

"No, Hokushin wouldn't wanna rule." "Perhaps Shura?" Kurama suggested. Yeah, she really had no idea who they were talking about. "That little brat? No way!" "Yusuke, he has matured greatly since the first tournament. He is quite capable for his age. He would make a fine ruler and would have the aid of Yomi." "Still don't think so. Let's call up Enki! He wouldn't mind being king again." And so after a short discussion and phone call, this Enki guy was made the new owner of Team Urameshi.

Koenma was about to leave, but Miyuki stopped him. "Koenma, we're gonna be able to get my sister back right?" "Of course you will." "And if she's forced to fight? Iff we're forced to fight her?" He paused. "Don't worry about it. When the time comes, trust your instincts. I don't think she'll be too hard to get back." "Okay. Oh and one more thing before you leave." "What is it Miyuki?" With a smirk, she asked, "Have you been getting it on with Botan?" He turned red, quickly shouted, "No!" and vanished with a pop.

Kurama smiled towards her. "That was uncalled for." She shrugged and smiled back, beginning to count in her head. Three seconds passed before Yusuke and Kuwabara cracked up and demanded high fives, laughing hysterically with random outbursts of, "Dude, did you see his face?" and "I bet you he's lying!"

* * *

><p>Tomorrow morning, they would be leaving for Makai. From what Miyuki had heard, she wasn't sure she'd like it. It didn't seem like a very pleasant place. Yusuke and Kurama explained to her a little bit about what Makai was like, the different regions, politics, and the tournament. Yusuke originally created the tournament to prevent an all out war from happening. The winner of this tournament would become ruler of Makai and the first victor was Enki. Every three or four years, the tournament is held again. Although the victor becomes the ultimate king, there are still others who rule over their own territories, but swear loyalty and must report back to him, for example, the "three kings." She understood that two youkai named Mukuro and Yomi ruled Alaric and Gandara respectively. Yusuke technically was a ruler too, but he mostly left the work to his second in command, a monk named Hokushin. She was curious to meet these people and see the demon plane for herself, even though she was told that they were dangerous people and a dangerous place.<p>

For the time being, Miyuki was just enjoying her last day in the human world. She had asked how long the tournament would last, but no one could say for sure; it could be anywhere from a couple of days to two or three months. It highly depended on the number of teams that entered and how the tournament would be organized, and with how large Makai was, no one could even guess that number.

She flew over the treetops, quietly taking in the view as the sun began to set. Suddenly, when she was least expecting it, something jumped out of the trees, successfully tackling her to the ground. She opened her eyes with the intention of seeing her attacker's face before retaliating. Instead, she found Hiei hovering above her, supporting himself with his arms on both sides of her body and knee between her legs, so as not to crush her.

She froze when she realized the position they were in. Oh god no. Hiei wouldn't do that to her too, would he? She thought she could trust these people, but maybe she had been wrong in thinking so. After all, she had been wrong with Tsukasa; Tsukasa was the one who had made the "soiled" part of that little prophecy Lucifer told them true. Why was it that her sister was gifted with the ability to read people well? Misuzu never had problems like this.

She closed her eyes again, reliving the horrible memories, and expecting the worst. Only a couple of seconds passed before she felt Hiei get up. Shakily, she sat up. She tried to sound pissed, angry, and threatening, but her voice failed her. "What the hell are you doing Hiei?" came out of her mouth detached and unsteady. She took a couple of minutes to recompose herself, emptying her mind and breathing deeply. Calm and confidence back, she asked again. "What the hell were you doing, tackling me out of the sky like that?"

"Training you. Always be aware of your surroundings. If you do not wish to be killed in two days, you would be wise to do so." He walked away. "And that position you were holding me in? Horny, are you, Hiei?" she attempted to joke weakly. He simply ignored her and continued walking. "Hey!" she called out. "If I can tackle _you_ to the ground, will you do anything I want you to?" Sure enough, that got his attention; Hiei was not one to turn down challenges. He turned around and smirked. "You fool. That is a challenge you will not succeed in." Proud and confident in his abilities, he turned and walked away once more.

Miyuki shot up into the sky with the thought that Hiei needed to be taught a lesson firmly in her mind. When she was above Hiei's position, she tucked in her wings and dived down, spinning to accelerate herself in a spiral. At the last possible second, when she pulled back on speed and Hiei looked up, she placed a light kiss upon his cheek. In the brief moment that Hiei stood shocked, she pushed him to the ground. Afraid of his reaction, she shot back into the sky. At a safe distance forty feet in the air, she shouted down at him, "I win!" Cautiously, she floated back down. "_You're _the one that needs to pay attention to his surroundings. You act so high and mighty, you didn't even pay attention to my challenge. I mean, I suppose that wasn't exactly fair, but I still won, so you have to do whatever I say."

He lunged forward and his katana cut off a few locks of her hair. He growled, "If you sincerely have a death wish, I won't hesitate to kill you." Hiei stalked away and she yelled after him. "Wait, wait! Horse-back riding isn't so bad! I promise you'll love it!" Well, maybe not love, but like is a start, she thought as she hurried after him.

* * *

><p>After finishing with the packing of her duffel bag, Miyuki went outside and made her way to the stable. "Good morning Yumi." She took a carrot from her pocket and slowly fed it to the horse. "I'll be gone for a while, but Yukina will take care of you okay? We'll go back out for a ride when I get back and maybe Hiei will too. Last night wasn't so bad, right?" The black Arab neighed in reply. "I think I'll get him a horse." Chuckling, she added, "How would you feel about getting a nice boyfriend?" She hugged Yumi's neck, inhaling her scent. "I'll be home as soon as possible and I'll be bringing Misuzu back for sure. See you later Yumi."<p>

As she approached the group, Kuwabara called out to her. "Hey Miyu! What took you so long? We've been waiting for hours!" "Oh shut up Kuwabara. I was with Yumi for five minutes whereas you spend hours with Eikichi." "Hehe cuz I'm studying, ya know?" He laughed and mumbled an excuse. "Sure you are." She laughed back.

"Ready everyone?" Botan asked and opened up a portal. "Heck yeah! Let's go get Misuzu back from that bastard!" Yusuke and Kuwabara shouted as they marched into the portal. "Ready as I'll ever be," Miyuki muttered and followed them in.

Her first steps into Makai were rather harsh as her senses were bombarded. Makai's lighting was very dim and it took her a minute or two to adjust. The stench was even worse though; Makai had an awful, rotting smell to it. Kurama came and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get used to it." She wondered if she ever would though.

Miyuki winced and took a look around. There was an ocean and a massive ship in front of them. Makai had oceans, forests, mountains, and deserts, just like the human world. Were they getting on that ship? When Yusuke began to walk towards it, she took it as a yes.

"Anyone else feel serious deja vu? It really is just like the dark tournament. There better not be more Toguro's cuz that'd just be creepy." Yusuke voiced aloud. Kuwabara agreed, but no one else replied. They all made their way to the ship and climbed aboard, heading first to their cabins. The ship sailed a little further down the coastline, picking up a few more teams on it's way, before heading out. After settling into her room, Miyuki went back up to the deck. She saw Kurama leaning against the ship's railing and she walked over.

"Hey, where's Enki?" she asked. "Team owners and spectators are all arriving on different ships," Kurama explained. "Preliminaries are held onboard, so we can't have them on the same ships. They'll probably start in an hour or so." "Oh." She hadn't known about that. It looked like she wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow to get her chance to fight.

Kurama's prediction had turned out true. An announcement was played over the ship approximately an hour later, asking for the members of all teams to please report to the deck. The space on the deck was cleared and a platform rose out from beneath. A man jumped up and began to speak into a microphone. "Welcome to the preliminary elimination round of ship number 11 of 64! Will each of the forty teams send up their strongest fighter? Now a layout of the rules. The fighter that can eliminate the 39 other representatives wins their team a ticket to the tournament! It's kill or be killed! Please send up your fighter and we'll be on our way."

Math wasn't Miyuki's strongest point, but she managed the calculations in her head and was shocked. Two thousand five hundred and sixty teams entered the tournament? Makai was insane. "Well, which one of us goes?" Yusuke asked. "Any of us could do it easily." Miyuki wasn't so sure about that. She felt confident in her strength and abilities, but against thirty nine other youkai? Yusuke reassured her though. He told her that on average, only one powerful team resides on each ship and that prelims are a breeze. Kuwabara suggested that they decide by janken, but while the four of them were doing just that, Hiei walked past them and jumped up onto the platform. "You idiots are wasting time. My katana will be enough."

While Yusuke and Kuwabara issued complaints, she and Kurama sat back against the railing to watch. When all forty teams had sent up their fighters, the announcer shouted begin and the fight commenced. Many of the youkai quickly converged upon Hiei, but it was not a problem for him at all. Even though she was improving, Miyuki still had some difficulty following Hiei's speed. Within minutes, he had decapitated the other thirty nine and jumped back down to rejoin them. Yusuke was right; the preliminaries didn't pose a challenge at all.

"Team Urameshi moves on!" she heard the announcer yell. Other teams were mumbling, "I knew we shouldn't have gotten on the same boat as Urameshi's team," and, "Whatever, I only entered this tournament for fun anyway." She wondered how many of the teams actually entered with the intention of winning and becoming ruler of Makai.

The losing teams were thrown off the boat, which she found rather harsh, leaving only their team and the ship's crew onboard. She had plenty of time to kill. It'd be another peaceful six hours of sailing until they reached the island where the tournament would be held. It might be a good time to try another crack at Hiei.

* * *

><p>"Uh, Yusuke? Why's everyone staring at us?" Miyuki asked as they pushed through the crowd to the team sign-in desks. "Cuz they love me here in Makai!" he grinned and answered. She kicked the back of his knee. "Haha, <em>very funny<em>. Yeah right."

Kurama chuckled and said, "We won the dark tournament and we were amongst the strongest fighters of the first unification tournament. Along with the basic facts of who we are- bandits, the descendent of Raizen, and a human- many youkai either strongly dislike or fear us." She nodded, trying to figure out whether that was an asset or not.

Miyuki scanned the room as Yusuke checked them in, searching desperately for her sister. She noticed that Kurama was doing the same. Right before Lucifer had taken her sister, she thought that they were just starting to become close. She smiled inwardly. Maybe Kurama had some feelings for Misuzu. But there were more important things at hand. She knew her sister was for the most part, physically safe, but what if Lucifer had broken her? What if she was a completely different person now?

A chill passed and Miyuki turned her head. Three demons were just exiting the room; the one in the center was thinner than the other two, probably female, and about the same height as her sister. She was wearing a loose cloak over her clothing and had a hood pulled over her head. It couldn't be her though, could it? The aura and scent of the cloaked figure was completely different from Misuzu's. As if they sensed her watching them, they paused in the doorway and the one in the center turned to look straight at her. The hood shadowed the upper half of her face, but Miyuki noticed she flashed a small, devious smile before turning and making her way out.

The hotel that all the competitors, team owners, and VIP's were staying in was only a short walk away from the office building. As they were walking, Miyuki felt a strong gust of wind and excitedly looked up, hoping to see her sister. Disappointed, she instead found herself faced with a red haired youkai that was almost impish in appearance and wore white baggy pants. He introduced himself to her as Jin. His unusual dialect of Japanese was somewhat confusing at first, but she grew to like him and his cheerful, up-beat personality.

He seemed to be very good friends with Yusuke. They chatted for quite a while and Miyuki listened intently. Apparently, his team had had six people and since they all wanted to fight, decided who would be team owner by janken. A man named Chu lost and was still pissed. That left the ones named Suzuki, Shishiwakamaru, Touya, Rinku, and himself on their team. After telling Yusuke that he couldn't wait until the round where they'd eventually face each other, he patted her head and flew off. Later that evening, in the hotel, she had the chance to meet a few of the men: Chu, Rinku, Touya, and even Enki. They were a jolly bunch, and she found herself looking forward to tomorrow and their matches together as well.

* * *

><p><strong>I should be writing more, since it's summer, and I have time on my hands. But writer's block is horrible. So I'll just continue posting the chapters few chapters I have finished, and hopefully, crank out some new chapters, slowly. R&amp;R, please? :3<strong>


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